


Connected

by Minai28



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brother/Brother Incest, Brotherly Love, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Memory Loss, Resurrection, Slow Build, Soul Bond, Temporary Character Death, Uchiha Itachi Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:01:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28451310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minai28/pseuds/Minai28
Summary: Itachi had loved Sasuke ever since the boy was born and so did Sasuke.Even if such a thing as soulmates were nothing but hearsay and overly romantic people playing with the concept of destiny, it was undeniable that these two shared a bond of some kind.A bond that persisted even after years apart.A bond even death couldn't break.Neither could lost memories.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	1. 1

Itachi had loved Sasuke ever since the boy was born and so did Sasuke.  
Even if such a thing as soulmates were nothing but hearsay and overly romantic people playing with the concept of destiny, it was undeniable that these two shared a bond of some kind.  
A bond that persisted even after years apart.  
A bond even death couldn't break.

When Kabuto resurrected Itachi, Sasuke woke up in a cold sweat, something was wrong.   
Or maybe it was right for the first time in months, he couldn't tell he only knew that something was different.

When Itachi left him again, this time with sweat words that dulled the pain ever so slightly, he realized what this feeling was.  
It was Itachi, it was his brother.  
It was his mere existence that brightens his own with purpose, with his reason to live.

Without him, it was lonely, not the type of loneliness he had felt a million times, no.  
His heart and his soul were lonely even when he was surrounded by friends.  
As if a part of him was missing.

Still, Itachi had wished for his survival and Sasuke would not disrespect his brother's will like that.  
No matter how much it hurt.

Not when he was betrayed by his only friend and thrown in jail.  
Not when he left the village to at least feel free of its shackles.  
Not when he woke up tears falling from his eyes because his soul was torn and would never be whole again, or so he thought.

Three years into Sasuke's wandering he woke up in a cold sweat his heart beating harder than ever and he knew that something had changed.

At first, he didn't know what, he hadn't felt this feeling in years, half a decade for sure but he knew that feeling.

It took a few days before it hit him, tears welled up in his eyes and for the first time, he looked forward to tomorrow.  
He had a goal again, he knew his brother was out there and he would find him.


	2. 2

It took weeks to even find so much as a hint of his brother, still, he found it.  
A woman in a small village, miles from everything told him about a good looking blind man, with beautiful long hair and a pet crow who had been there a week prior.

It could have been a coincidence but Sasuke's gut told him otherwise.  
After another week of searching, he found a lovely little lake near a forest.  
He knew he was close but he was also very tired and it seemed like a good place to rest.  
He slept beneath a nearby tree and dreamt that his brother was back at his side.

When he woke up his dream had become reality as Itachi was sitting at the edge of the lake, a crow by his side.

He turned towards the younger, his eyes closed and his expression was softer than Sasuke could remember.  
"Good morning… I hope I didn't scare you. I was just passing by-"  
"Itachi", Sasukes voice shook.  
He was right there, alive.

Itachi's brows furrowed, the crow hopped to his other side, receiving a few absentminded pets.  
"Is that really my name? It sounds off somehow… It's nice to know that my intuition was right, though.", He chuckled softly, "You seemed so... familiar."

Sasuke's face fell, he got up and started to walk towards his brother.  
"Does that mean… You've lost your memory?"

Itachi tensed up as his brother came closer, one hand slipping into his cloak, probably on its way to grab a kunai, Sasuke, though.  
The older nodded.  
"I only know that I've felt your energy before."

Should Sasuke just tell him who he was?  
Telling him would mean giving him back the life he had once led, it would give his brother dead parents, forever sullied hands, and a brother to take care of…

Itachi spoke again, "Lost in thought? Or are you contemplating if you should tell me anything at all? Well, if you can't help me with my lost past, I shall take my leave."  
He got up slowly, a walking stick that had been hidden up until now, in hand.  
"Thank you for my name, young man…", Itachi started walked away.

"Wait!"  
Itachi stopped dead in his tracks.  
"I hope you are willing to talk, I hate to waste time…", he smiled but it was a dangerous smile.

Sasuke swallowed, this may be his only chance.  
"I can tell you up until you… were thought dead but I have a... condition"  
"Which would be?"  
"I want to travel with you"  
Never again, Sasuke wouldn't leave him, he had found his other half again and he would stay with him.

Itachi seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before he spoke again, "Alright. You can come with me. I'm on a little mission of my own, I want to find a home for myself and little Shisui here…"  
Itachi gestured to the crow Wich had taken its place on his shoulder.  
"Shi-shisui?"  
"Yes, the name seemed to fit nicely, don't you think so?"

Sasuke swallowed and took his place beside his brother.  
"It does, too much so… a long time ago you were friends with a man named Shisui."

Itachi looked taken aback but then he smiled.  
He started walking shortly followed by Sasuke.  
"Is that so? I would have never guessed… You seem to have known me quite well, who are you?"  
After a long moment, Sasuke finally managed to answer, "Sasuke… We've had a… complicated relationship in the past but left on good terms before I thought you dead. It's good to see you, Itachi even without you knowing who I am."  
Itachi nodded understanding and seemed to relax ever so slightly.

Sasuke told Itachi very little that could clue him into who he really was, little memories here and there of their shared childhood, how Itachi was presumed dead after the war and Itachi told him of what had happened since.  
He had been found by an old couple up north and he has been searching for clues to who he was and what had happened as well as a home for himself and the crow who had been with him since he woke up.

The two of them went on their way through the woods, the occasional small town and though Itachi seemed to tens up every time Sasuke came close, it felt nice to be together again.

"Sasuke-Kun? I'd appreciate it if you could take the seat on the other side…", Itachi said softly after Sasuke set down beside him in a small restaurant.  
It felt wrong but Sasuke complied.  
"How come you don't like… that?"  
"Instinct, I suppose. I must confess that I've retained some… abilities of my time as a Shinobi. I know that you're dangerous, incredibly so and my instincts tell me to stay away. I wish I had more control over myself but that is something I've still to relearn."

Sasuke froze.  
He was- Itachi was afraid of him…  
"I… I'm sure you could beat me if need be…"  
This is still Itachi, he should be able to, he was perfect!  
"I'm not so sure…ah, thank you"  
A waiter came over and gave both of them a glass of water.

They continued their talk over dinner.  
"I am no one to fear, not for you."  
"Am I to take this as 'I would never hurt you' or as 'I could never beat you in the past'?", Itachi said and took a sip of his drink.  
"...Both, I suppose… I did beat you once but you let me win."  
Itachi hummed gently, "I like honesty, Sasuke-Kun."   
The younger smiled.

Itachi tensed to request vegetarian dishes and shared his leftovers with his crow, it reminded Sasuke of how his brother really did have a gentle nature.


	3. 3

Itachi had scares he shouldn't have.  
His arm bore burn marks when the wounds never had the time to turn into scars.  
Sasuke often wondered just how that happened, just how and why his brother was back, in a living breathing body.  
At the end of the day he only cared that his brother was there, was with him, that they were hole again.

They were hole until one day Sasuke woke up to a panicked crow and a missing Itachi.

…

It took nearly a week to find him, in the claws of a small ninja village of a country Sasuke didn't even know had one.  
Itachi's crow had led him there and extracting a bit of information from a local Shinobi wasn't difficult.  
Apparently, Itachi had committed some capital crime there in his time with the Akatsuki.

"You! Stand back!", A guard shouted when Sasuke approached.  
He was furious, they had taken his brother from him, taken him prisoner, and were planning to execute him, to kill a man who had already paid for his sins tenfold!  
"Stay down if you value your life.", Sasuke hissed as he walked right past him, when the guard tried to stop him, Sasuke let his sword glide through his chest.  
He was not yet dead but would be if he tried anything again.  
A crow cawed from a tall tower, a familiar chakra inside.

The village erupted into chaos but Sasuke didn't care, he only engaged with those who stood in his way, not killing them but if they came at him again he would.  
Orochimaru had called him soft for this habit but Itachi would certainly not share that view.

Shisui the crow led his way through the halls, down and down until it came to a stop before a heavy steel door.

The door was nothing for Sasuke Susanno, neither was the next or the bars of his brother's cell.  
Itachi looked miserable, his hands tied together and sealed just as his eyes were.  
"Itachi…it's ok, I'm here…", Sasuke tried to sound reassuring but didn't know if he succeeded.

Itachi sighed audibly, "Leave me be. They are right to punish me…"  
"That's not true. You've paid for everything, in blood and tears…", Sasuke tentatively walked up to him, his hand gently caressing his brother's cheek.  
"I should be dead from what they told me and I do believe them… A memory came back to me, one I'd rather forget."  
"You did die… Depending on how you count twice… I think that is enough"  
"Sasuke what-"

Some guards showed that they had guts and tried to attack the Uchiha.  
Sasuke grabbed his brother and took care of their assailants.  
After everything was done and the brothers were far enough away from the village, Shisui the crow took its rightful place on Itachi's shoulder again.

"So… What did you mean, Sasuke?", Itachi asked, Sasuke's hands on his as the younger undid the seal.  
"I… I meant it literally. You died and came back through a forbidden technique. You defeated the one who brought you back and I thought that you'd be at peace until a couple of months ago…"  
"...Is that really… I hate to say it but this explains some things…I suppose I should thank you, little brother…"  
Sasuke had never told him that they were brothers…

"Let me be honest with you this once…   
I remember killing our parents and I remember your terrified cries for it to all be a lie. I don't know why I did it and least of all do I understand you still wanting to be by my side… but what I do know is that you're precious to me still."

He knew what had happened to their parents he remembers that night but not completely and somehow that felt even worse.  
Still, Sasuke was important to him, even without most of his memories.

Itachi's hands were finally freed and they grasped Sasukes gently.  
"I want to know why you would save me after I've committed atrocities after atrocities, why you're still here when you could have let me die..."  
"Never, I could never let you die… not again… Let me free your eyes and then we should travel even further…"  
"It's of little use to unseal them, let's just go."

Itachi was right even if Sasuke really didn't want him to be.


	4. 4

The distance kept between the two Uchiha shrunk with every day that passed.  
A week after the incident the two could sit next to each other and be at peace.  
They had taken refuge from the rain under a nearby tree, resting side by side.  
“Sasuke?”  
“Mh?”  
“I haven’t been entirely honest with you…”  
“I’m used to that…”, Sasuke sighed.  
“Mh… I must have really been awful to you… When we first met, I didn’t just happen to come by, I don’t know how exactly but I knew that someone important would be there…”  
Sasuke smiled and leaned on his brother's shoulder.  
It was mutual after all.

“The other thing… Is my eyesight... “  
Sasuke sat up straight again, his eyes looked on his brother's closed eyes.  
Itachi blinked a couple of times before opening them fully,   
“I’m not blind but I might as well be... “  
Sasuke's hand gently stroked his brother's cheek, his eyes looked the same as they did in their final fight.  
“This isn’t the first time this has happened to you… You can have mine or rather yours back if you want…”  
“I don’t think I need it, I can see you and that’s all that matters, I have no need for them otherwise…”

Shisui the crow was oddly agitated and flew in to settle on Itachi’s shoulder, separating the two Uchiha.  
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, while Itachi didn’t notice anything being amiss.  
Was the crow somehow jealous?  
Sasuke chuckled maybe it was Shisui, reincarnated or some such?

…

A latter sound found Sasuke via messenger bird, apparently, Kakashi was furious but had done Sasuke one last ‘favor’ as his teacher.  
That ‘favor’ being Sasuke was just banished and had not put a hit on him by the fire-country.  
If it was indeed true that Itachi was alive again, he should give him Kakashi’s regards and regrets over having such a stupid younger brother.  
Sasuke crumpled up the latter.

How should he have known that this stupid tiny village was allied with Konoha?  
They deserved everything he did anyway…

“Are you alright, Sasuke?”  
The younger sighed, “Kakashi says hi and not to come to Konoha… ever…”  
“Who’s Kakashi?”  
“Oh, right you don’t remember… He was… um... I don’t know actually… I honestly don’t know what you two were to each other. All I know is that he was my teacher.”  
Itachi seemed to contemplate this new information for a bit.  
“... I don’t know but I get the feeling I should call him Kakashi-senpai, maybe he was my teacher too at some point?”  
Sasuke shrugged.  
“Ah, it doesn’t matter, you’re all that’s left of our family and honestly, I feel like you’re all that I need in my life…”

…

It didn’t matter where they went, all that mattered was their company.  
Sasuke couldn’t remember a time in his life in which both he and his brother had smiled this much.  
Still, he felt one thing was missing.  
He wanted Itachi to be able to see all the wonderful places they visited, not just in a blur but clearly.

He took the lead back towards the north of the continent, he knew a doctor up there that had worked with Orochimaru at some point, he could certainly help with his goal.


	5. 5

“I want to request something if we are really doing this…”  
“Which would be?”  
“I want to know what my last words to you were afterward… I get the feeling that it’s important somehow…”

Itachi’s intuition had been right once again, Sasuke looked back on the last moments he shared with his brother before edo tensai was released with nostalgia and affection.  
Sasuke absentmindedly stroked his forehead, where Itachi had given him a kiss as his final goodby.  
“It is, to me at least...”

Sasuke felt a lot of things towards his brother the most important of which was love.  
He had loved him when he was a small child, he had loved him when he should have hated him, he loved him even after he was gone.  
It was his fondest memory when Itachi told him that he too loved him.

…

When Sasuke awoke from the surgery Itachi was already up and about with Shisui on his shoulder.  
He wouldn’t have known of the beloved pet's presence if it wasn’t for an inpatient craw.  
“I’m glad you’re finally awake, I think you promised me an answer, dear Sasuke…”  
He could hear the smile in Itachi’s voice.  
“No matter what happens from now on, I will always love you…”, Sasuke quoted, a smile on his lips.  
“And I should have said it a long time ago, I love you too, Itachi, even now.”

Silence followed and after a while, Sasuke grew wary.  
“Nii-san?”  
“... Sasuke… Did I… kiss you before I left?”  
“On my forehead, yes…”  
“Would you mind if I….?”

Sasuke shook his head, confused.  
Why was Itachi so… odd?  
Even if more memories had come back to him, why would he be so careful?

When Itachi leaned in, cupped his face gently, and finally united their lips he understood.

The older sighed after they separated, a content little sigh, even as his crow was freaking out and franticly flying around the room.  
“I do remember now, the most important person in my life… My other half, even if I didn’t realize it back then.”

Sasuke’s lips tingled softly, what had all these expectations of society ever been in the light of Itachi?  
Distractions at most.  
“Can I kiss you again, big brother?”  
“Anytime you’d like.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was basically a little gift for me, I wasn't feeling too good but wanted to end this year on a high note, hope you enjoy~


End file.
